Somewhere Between Executing The Mentally Ill And I Hate My Opponents, There’s A Space…

Charlottesville

September 24, 2025

And in that space is our freedom to learn how to improve our golf game.

From today’s WSJ:

Research shows that focusing on a series of small steps can make all the difference

By Paul Christianson

Sept. 24, 2025 at 10:30 am ET

What’s the difference between playing a good round of golf and a not-so-good one? Often, it’s what’s in your head. Golfers who shoot some of the best rounds of their lives describe an experience that athletes call being “in the zone”—a state of total concentration, where time moves slowly, and good shots come effortlessly.

But how do you get in the zone?

I’ve studied golf performance for more than two decades, and research has shown me how the best golfers do just that—techniques that I use for my own game.

The key is to complete a succession of tasks that sharpen your focus, from the moment you arrive at the course to your first shot. Performance psychologists often refer to this as zooming in, where you purposefully magnify your concentration on small details.

After all, golf at its core involves only two separate parts: the mind and the body. The mind is what directs the body to produce the golf shots you desire. If you can sync these two things, you’re bound to shoot lower scores.

What’s the weather?

When I arrive at the golf course, the first thing I do is zoom in on my surroundings. Is it going to be hot or cold? How will that impact my distance? Is it windy? Maybe I’m going to need to adjust my stance today.

The trick is to treat this not as an intellectual exercise where you’re going over the weather and how it might affect your game. Rather, you pretty much only think of minute details, shutting out all other thoughts.

The next step is to make sure your mind and body are working in harmony. The best way I’ve found to do this is with a whip trainer—a device to improve swing mechanics. It isn’t uncommon for the mind and body to be out of sync at the start of a day. For example, if I’m stiff, my mind might say to do a full swing, but my body only has the ability to go to 85%. This disconnect can result in being out of the zone, so I’ll practice with the whip trainer until I feel both my mind and body are in harmony.

Once I’m in sync, the next thing I’ll zoom in on is hitting deliberate practice shots while simulating what it’s going to be like on the golf course that day.

For example, many golfers will simulate shots they’ll experience on the first hole, starting with the first tee shot. This helps to stimulate positive memories in the brain and build confidence. The idea, though, is to emphasize quality over quantity. If someone is really in the zone they may only hit a few very deliberate practice shots on the range when most golfers are aimlessly hitting a full bucket of balls.

Preshot routine

My focus then shifts to my preshot routine—a routine I call “STOP S.L.O.W. GO.” Specifically:

Stop: This is where I have a mental trigger that stops my mind from wandering and focuses on the task at hand. For me, my mental trigger is when I close the strap on my glove. Closing that strap tells me I need to shut out everything else I’m doing and focus on my shot. Other golfers like to use a red dot on their glove; they see that dot and it reminds them to be in the moment, to shut out everything else.

Strategy: This involves selecting what my strategy is for my next golf shot—given the distance to the pin, the elevation and the wind.

Look: Once I have a precise target selected, I envision what the shot will look like, often visualizing the flight line the ball will take.

Outline: The next phase simply involves syncing my mind and body for the golf shot I want to produce. To do so, I outline the ball flight I want to hit with a particular swing shape. My focus here is to make sure I have full confidence this swing shape is going to produce my desired outcome and allow me to take a fearless golf swing at my precise target.

Waggle: Golf is a sport where a dynamic person needs to match his or her body alignment to make contact with the static object—the ball. In my research, we have found that golfers can do this by “waggling,” which generally involves a small, repetitive movement of the club up and down or side to side. It loosens up the body, particularly the hands and wrists, allowing the golfer to get a feel for the club and the swing while getting into proper alignment.

Go: A swing trigger is the first movement of a golfer’s backswing. Most golfers begin with a slight forward press of their hands. Whatever it is, the focus is simply on replicating the movements you’ve planned and hitting the shot.

The goal in all these steps is to focus on the good things that can go right and not the things that can go wrong. By zooming in on these details, you’re much more likely to stop your wandering mind—and get into the zone.

Paul Christianson is an associate professor of sports management at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. He can be reached at reports@wsj.com.